Where’s the love? Flower power et al? IF you give bum a $500 fine who pays it?
Jail? Three hots and a cot? Sure sounds better than lying in old chewing gum while being trampled on by the liberal elite. Maybe it’s time the city started electing responsible leaders who wouldn’t make SF a haven for bumage,criminals and the like? Not just dashing Metro’s? Fact is with the current economy allot more bums are coming your way. ALLOT MORE! Enjoy.

Well bently it seems that you have made up your mind ,so I won’t be bothered to argue. However the liberal elite in this country will stop at nothing to relieve us of our rights and if they don’t get their way will lie, cheat ,steal and be the epitome of anti social behavior . eg Madison Wis. You are in the minority and like all bad children need to be spanked.

This law is void as it conflicts with the vehicle code which preempted all topics the vehicle code covers. Local authorities are not to enact local legislation for matters covered by the vehicle code per section 21 of the vehicle code.

“21. Except as otherwise expressly provided, the provisions of this
code are applicable and uniform throughout the State and in all
counties and municipalities therein, and no local authority shall
enact or enforce any ordinance on the matters covered by this code
unless expressly authorized herein.”

but its a fun sewer. lots of sex and drugs, yummy. sf was never a safe city. wild and wooly. even in the 50s, the docks were dangerous, the tenderloin a lawless no man’s land, and the north beach a haven for organized crime. guess your just too young to know the real city. take it from a real senior citizen, the place has always been the frontier of human reality. if you want safe and sanitized, move to rapid cities, south dakota.

I knew, old timer, what you meant when you said Rapid cities. Rapid City, cities. I also know that there are some nitpickies out there that don’t know how to deal with us “old codgers”.
Just tellin’ it like it is. 🙂

It wouldn’t be too hard to open up a few of the buildings in the Presidio to house these homeless people. If the shelters were run properly, and given the facilities at the Presidio, it would seem fairly straightforward that many could be re-trained to fine meaningful employment. Others could work cleaning up the city, of all the mess that they’ve created. Those that are mentally ill could be housed and cared for at the Presidio, by many who are competent homeless people.
There is so much the city could do with such a human resource, but there simply is no political will to act on any programs anymore with vision. This issue could totally be turned around to the city’s benefit. I can understand the voters frustration as in my several years living in SF, it was frustrating, and almost everyone has a horror story they can tell you about dealing with a homeless person. I have had my own share of problems, but for the most part, the homeless that were always the problem, were those that should have been placed in a mental facility. Most are normal, some are lazy and don’t want to work, others simply keep hitting streaks of bad luck, others have given up, and unfortunately many are addicted to drugs.

Only the South is decent. The South looks like they way things were back in the 50s. Driving in Southern States is like driving in the real America when the raods were empty. The towns are nice and the South is a boom town. Every city is building and new companies are opening. Its the new America. It should breakaway from the Sewer before the Sewer begins to flow into the South.

I live in the south. This is not true. In Atlanta, 1/2 of the city is 3rd world, the other half is an affluent. problems are just swept under the rug. even in the wealthy part there are huge holes in the ground every mile where construction projects were started and then aborted when the credit crunch of 2008 hit. They are terrible eye-sores. In Buckhead, the wealthiest neighborhood, people come up from College Park (the poorest) and commit murders and bank robbings.

Know what you’re talking about before you put your fingers on the keyboard.

yeah, rapid city. probably should have spelt it rapids city or rabid cities. it does have the friendliest folks in the world, really. ah the magic of being old. we not only dont know how to spell, but we even forget what words mean. its horrible to look at a street sign and not know what the damn words mean. like “curb your dog”. do i put a curb around the dog, bend the dog into the shape of a curb, or throw the mutt into the curb?? but please dont blame the leftists for my spelling. they may smell horrible, but they really had little to do with my education.

We up here in Northern New Hampshire would have you know things are pretty much the way they were a hundred years ago, ‘cept everyone has one of those new fangled iron horseless carriages. Seriously, if you want to think of opportunity (NH has no sales tax, no income tax) and has unemployment half of the national average. We have clean water, and air, cheap land. We have thousands of square miles of forests, and old homesteads. It is not to be believed, until you visit. If you like snow, we’re just what the doctor ordered for you that are tired of the rat race.

I live in OC, CA now, but was the 6th generation of my family to live in San Francisco, and the 5th to be born there. It’s an incredible city filled with a lot of really nasty people, and I am not talking about your rank-and-file dtreet bums..

When I go back to visit friends and family, I just make sure I have my “nasty people” filters on.

You reap what you sow. Encourage the proliferation of worthless, non-productive individuals, give them a way to survive without doing anything, and guess what – you will have more and more of them. What a big surprise.

Beautiful city, but when we have visited we were appalled at the trash. We were told that fewer trash cans were provided so people would recycle. We were also very uncomfortable with making our way through the people sitting and lying around on the streets. The parks were particularly full of the homeless, making visiting them less than pleasant and a bit scary since some of those there were drunk or mentally ill.

I agree, such a beautiful city spoiled by trash. Piles of trash, blowing trash, trash trash trash. Maybe locals get used to it or even like it, but I feel inspired everytime I’m in San Francisco to sell everything I own and move there to devote the rest of my days to picking up the trash. Might inspire other good people to begin other good deeds ….. };>{>

Sorry Charles Walker, not a chance of a flip flop after that completely weak argument. I left SF because of the direction the city was going, hopefully this is the start of a new trend. Question: What states are in the most financial crisis and who has been running them for the past several generations? Answer: California – Dems, Illinois – Dems, New York – Dems…when are you going to wake up people!!! Oh, that’s right you want to just hang out in the Haight Ashbury, defecate on the sidewalk and wonder why it smells like %$&!

San Fran is a liberal progressive stink pot. For people who are soooo concerned with “sustainable” green nonsense, it is absolutely amazing to me that the left wing does not care about “sustainable” fiscal policy. In the end, I’m rich, I win. SF can rot.

Dude, you have never been to SF then. The homeless are everywhere. lying and sleeping and begging everywhere. I just went to SF last summer. I loved the city but they have a homeless problem and they beg like no other city I have seen before.

It’s because of the dope in SF. I was on it years ago. You can get a 10 dollar “booger” of black tar heroin and be high for a couple hours. It’s cheap and people flock to SF JUST for the dope. The kids on dope is the problem, not some homeless 60 year old alcoholic. But of course SF doesn’t want to admit heroin is an issue! Sh!t, the cops on Market used to just make me throw my stuff away and I could go back and retrieve it after they left. Get the dope off the streets and you’ll get the beggars off of it.

I don’t think the bum who was interviewed has been searching for employment for the last 40 years from his spot on the sidewalk. Keep ’em moving all day and they will sleep well when the homeless shelter opens in the evening.

Useless cops arresting ‘sitters’ instead of real criminals, yet another violation of our rights. Add it to the list of gov’t violations of our right:
They violate the 1st Amendment by placing protesters in cages, banning books like “America Deceived II” and censoring the internet.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns.
They violate the 4th and 5th Amendment by molesting airline passengers.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting undeclared wars for foreign countries.
Impeach Obama and sweep out the Congress.
(Last link of Banned Book):http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000190526

Obama supporters betrayed by the socialist party due to lack of FHA home ownership! Let us give them no money down loans to buy homes to sit in! Where is Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi on this civill right issue? Moochers and looter will be thrown away after the useful idiot shelf life has expired. When a Republican is in office they will do a 60 minute special on the street people and move the congress to subsidize lawn chairs and blankets for them. Liberal hypocrisy never ends.

Poor Steve. After sitting on the sidewalk for forty years, he is first going to get a warning and then if he is still sitting on the sidewalk, he is going to get a ticket. I am sure this is what the residents of SF thought they were getting when they voted for this crackdown.

On a visit to SF several years ago, I cam up out of the BART at Nordstums about 9:00am and about 100 bumbs (homeless) were just waking up, they were sleeping on te sidewalk with sleeping bags, blankets, and cardbord. Most of them had the free shopping carraiges the City had bought for them to keep their stuff in. Some were coughing and spitting on the sidewalk. Its part of Americana so don’t take it away.

You have no idea what you are talking about. I have lived here for 14 years and seen nothing resembling an army of bums concentrated in one place like you say. Do they exist? Sure. Do I wish they would leave? Yes. But the problem is bad enough as it is and doesn’t need your overreactions and exaggerations to make it any more real or vivid. Go take your fevered imagination elsewhere and ruminate about the lack of the president’s certificate of live birth, or something.

I agree dullatron: continue to ignore the problem, maybe it will disappear. Your dismissive remarks do not make the problem less real nor less acute. You offer empty words, dullard.
The birth certificate thing is a true red herring, no need to take that stink bait.

Really? That was very helpful. “You are exaggerating but not inaccurate, so SHUT UP you doofus”! That is pretty much what I took from your post.

Progressive heart strings have put these less fortunate and, too often, mentally ill persons out on the street. When you depend on others for the minimum needs you congregate where the “free stuff” is. That is usually big cities run by liberals and democrats, but I wax redundant.

NOTIFY NORTH KOREA THAT SF IS NOW AN OPEN CITY, WE WILL NOT DEFEND IT AGAINST ATTACK.

The North Koreans can lauch their ICBMs at SF to test out they warheads. SF is a good place to hit becaus the surrounding mountains will contain the blasts and keep the radiation confined. Its a nice city but its not worth supporting anymore. The audience in the movie cheered during the showing of that filem Attack on LA.

Congratulations to the good people of San Fran for finally addressing the bums and deadbeat problem. Our family visited back in ’07, we had to walk over and around these alcoholics and crackheads on the sidewalk all the time. I said I would never return to San Fran… now… I would reconsider!

I often visit San Francisco, and like it despite what it has become. If the city administration is able to reverse the failed experiment with “homeless” people, then maybe there is “hope” for the rest of us who work, don’t urinate on the sidewalk, don’t conduct illegal activity, and don’t treat the sidewalk as our own private property. It is false compassion to facilitate the street person lifestyle; they live like feral dogs, preying on others,often their fellow street person. Giving them free stuff only makes it easier, it doesn’t change them. They need to be forced to live like civilized people, and this new policy is a good first step.

Funny. I seem to recall the mental institutions were emptied by liberals decades ago. They were “barbaric and deprived the dears of their freedoms and liberties”. Then again accuracy has never been the hallmark of the “blame the right” crowd… or mainstream media, for that matter.

WELL John. I didn’t realize a Ca law caused such a ripple all over the country. Why don’t you stop pulling subterfuge out of your bhole. Not making it easy to invol committ a person is NOT what we are writing about.

Bleeding hearts, perhaps with good intentions, were the movers behind this shift. We all know where the road leads that are paved with good intentions, don’t we?

Interesting you bring up the LPS Act…. Here is what it does. john, I can read also. Blaming Reagan for the street people is a straight up LIE.

To end the inappropriate, indefinite, and involuntary commitment of mentally disordered persons, developmentally disabled persons and persons impaired by chronic alcoholism, and to eliminate legal disabilities;

To provide prompt evaluation and treatment of persons with serious mental disorders or impaired by chronic alcoholism

To guarantee and protect public interest;

To safeguard individual rights through judicial review;

To provide individualized treatment, supervision, and placement services by a conservatorship program for gravely disabled persons;

To encourage the full use of all existing agencies, professional personnel and public funds to accomplish these objectives and to prevent duplication of services and unnecessary expenditures;

Which GOP president decreed that society was not responsible to care for the mentally ill? I must’ve missed that piece of legislation.

Let’s be truthful, John. A major factor is liberal policies that send more and more people in need of mental-health care out on their own (as part of the de-istitutionalizing movement) that’s a primary factor in the mentally ill being on the streets.

Really, I don’t write history, I simply read it on occasions. According to history, it was written by a Republican and two Democrats, then signed by Ronald Regan in 1967. Have you heard of Regan? And please, be truthful MP.

John be honest…..Do you actually read? Here is the intent of the LPS ACT you love to cite. Tell me how it put all the people on the streets.

To end the inappropriate, indefinite, and involuntary commitment of mentally disordered persons, developmentally disabled persons and persons impaired by chronic alcoholism, and to eliminate legal disabilities;

To provide prompt evaluation and treatment of persons with serious mental disorders or impaired by chronic alcoholism

To guarantee and protect public interest;

To safeguard individual rights through judicial review;

To provide individualized treatment, supervision, and placement services by a conservatorship program for gravely disabled persons;

To encourage the full use of all existing agencies, professional personnel and public funds to accomplish these objectives and to prevent duplication of services and unnecessary expenditures;

Some people love to kick other people when they are down. This is just another part of the meanness and hate that has taken hold of our country. I’ve spent three summers in San Francisco and none of the homeless ever bothered me and the sidewalks were never blocked by them. As for public urination – put more public toilets out there, They don’t have to be the fancy ones that clean themselves but there is only one of the “in” the Haight and that is on the edge of Golden Gate Park.

They will spend more money hassling people than on public toilets.

Making sitting on the sidewalk a crime is insane and it will only lead to making it illegal to stand on the sidewalk as well.

Of course, this also means no more street musicians,right?

Why not just turn the Haight, the Waterfront and Market Street into private commercial malls with mall cops to keep non customers out. They have done that to several downtowns in my hometown already. No one sits on the street there anymore.

Take our downtowns, streets and shopping districts and sell them to private companies and the public be damned.

The most ‘progressive’ city in the country, controlled by the largest congregation/percentage of supposedly ‘inclusive, diversity-loving” democrats showing their true colors. They also behave similarly toward anyone with an opinion different from theirs. To all the sheep following hose self-appointed elites ..wake up!!! Get a clue, …or at least …buy a vowel. Liberalism taken to the extreme (California style) eventually approaches fascism, opposing views of view are suppressed, mocked, threatened, eventually jailed.

@Bob A. Yes, they are a right wing party – war, bailouts for the rich, Wall Street in the Cabinet, tax breaks for the rich, cut social spending, increase military spending, threaten other nations, torture, squash dissent, punish and torture whistle blowers without trial – why Mr. Nixon would be shocked and outraged.

Now they are gutting his EPA too. Clinton gutted the social welfare programs he signed into law. I bet you think Clinton is a liberal.

What happened to the liberal tolerance and everything is okay? What I want to see is the $50 collection process are they going to place a lien on the guy’s blanket — or have the dimocrats thought that far down the road? The guys are homeless, good luck collecting any fine. Dimocrats usual solution make another law and the problem will go away. Don’t forget to create a new agency or department of homelessness too so that a complete solution is in place.

I visited San Francisco a few years ago and the thing that sticks out in my mind the most were all the homeless people I saw. They rule the city. I walked into fast food eateries and they seemed to own the place. They were all over the sidewalks and parks. It’s about time that something was done about it. Hopefully, it will force some of the homeless to accept help from homeless organizations.

Does anyone beside me find this policy utterly hilarious? I mean come on, give a homeless person a warning? Then a ticket? What do the cops put in the space where the person’s ADDRESS goes? Ah… somewhere on or about the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets? What about their names? Do these people even have ID cards? Oh wait I know, they give a brief discription of the individual instead. Imagine the discription:
Male approximately 30 to 50 years old wearing several layers of clothes the top layer being blue jeans and a sweatshirt jacket.
Hair color: unknown (hood on sweatshirt jacket was covering it).
Eyes: dark and extremely bloodshot.
Height: unable to ascertain as the individual refused to stand.
Weight: unable to ascertain as the layers of clothing camouflaged his actual body size.
Race: unable to ascertain as the amount of grime on the areas of skin not covered camouflaged his true skin color.

Of course if the warnings do no good and they issue tickets are these people going to show up in court? And if they don’t, how are you going to issue bench warrants for these people to appear?
Oh I know:
Warrant for failure to appear for Smokey, AKA Smokey the Geeze, AKA the Geezer, AKA the Old Geezer, AKA the Old Fart, AKA the Old Forty, AKA the Forty Man, AKA the Forty Guzzler, AKA the Guzz.
Address: General San Fransisco city in the vicinity Ashbury street.
etc, etc, etc…..
My god you can’t make this kind of material up!

You are living in a dream world. They are attracted to SF BECAUSE of your readily available supply of drugs, excessive” tolerance”, a projected image of total lack of morality (not actual, but perception is reality) etc. It will only get worse. People that become mentally ill because of drug abuse are not “legitamized” by people in smaller towns…they are outcasts. SF s loosey goosey drug policies make it a haven. Drugs are bad…ummmmkay.

Well they did the same thing in Santa Monica, because it was getting out of control, you couldn’t go into a city park without being harassed and even threatened, so yeah “liberal” SM with rent control and all that had to finally crack down, and you know why, because when you give people too much freedom ans exempt them form being responsible, they will abuse it.

Is it legal to arrest all of Obamao and Pelosi’s voters? Isn’t that discrimination? Why, I’m almost certain that this is profiling! Actually, this is the ONLY law the police in SF is allowed to enforce. All others are ignored out of political correctness!

I just got back from a business seminar in San Francisco. What a dump! I was pandhandled right at the hotel entrance as I arrived. Twice by the same guy! I saw a guy urinating on Market across from the Four Seasons at 3PM on a Sunday while tourists walked by him. Bums and urban campers everywhere. Garbage in the streets. Not the San Fran I knew and thought so highly of. Unless it’s business, I won’t be back to spend my own money. This city is the product of ridiculous elitism and political correctness. Enjoy it!

Hey, these aren’t “sitters”…I grew up there, 3rd generation and I’m glad I’m OUT! It’s disgusting! What about the people that pay their taxes and want to walk down the street? Oh, I guess they don’t have rights!

WAKE UP ALL YOU DAMN LIBERALS…I almost feel sorry for you. Some of you have no sense of reality. SF is a disgusting, dirty, PC, gang infested garbage dump. All you tourists…DON’T WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY…trust me on this one. I grew up there, as my parents and grandparents did. It is not the same city! Oh by the way, no one speaks any English. So, if you would like to travel to Mars (which would be better), be my guest. They’ve gone so far to the left, they have NO common sense, which, in the end, will be the downfall of the entire area. I travel 100mi. just to have a job there…I pay $1800. a yr. just to park my car (hopefully a tax write off) to go to work…beyond pathetic! The commute is worth it and I never thought I’d leave that “awesome” City By The Bay. I can watch the Giants on TV and not have to worry about getting robbed or attacked. Of course you couldn’t protect yourself, since everyone there thinks guns are bad. I headed to them thar hills and never looked back!

I did one better, I left the state! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life! Every time I visit my family in California, after about 3-4 days, I’m ready to leave! I used to love California. Now I don’t.

Last summer, I visited. I took my family to what was once a very nice spot that I used to visit alot years ago. My family were the only ones speaking english in the whole place and the eateries didn’t even look sanitary, so we left. The ocean, mountains, Disneyland, giant sequoias are NOT enough reason for me to ever live there again! If I want to see them, I can visit, but I get to leave again!

Hey, I hear ya! I have a few years to go and I work for SF. I have a great job, good retirement, etc. But, I practically close my eyes before I get into the bldg. I work in. If I could, I’d leave CA also…what a friggin mess. It will never be fixed, but will only get worse. Thank God my parents and grandparents can’t see this! I remember when I had to get dressed up to go downtown. My grandma always wore gloves and we took the cable car downtown for lunch and shopping….what a wonderful time SF was! I kid you not…it was beautiful. It had its’ problems like any large city, but not the extreme political atmosphere it does now….what a shame and how bittersweet for me. At least I have my wonderful memories. Like they say, you can never go back! Take care!

Hey PatriotGirl, I visited the Bay Area back in the 1980’s. I loved it. As LA changed for the worse, I expect the Bay Area did as well. I visited a website that chronicles the political and social madness that goes on in the Bay Area and it’s insane. ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!!

SF – with or without the homeless – is the best place to live. The entire left coast is full of homelessness, from Hollywood, to the bushes in Big Sur where ther is no city, right up to SF. That’s because it’s nice over here. SF is one of the jewels of this coast and teh nation. I’ve never been threatened by a panhandler, I think that most people have not, unless they consider a request for change a threat…
The sit lie ban is just an easy way for people who move into these neighborhoods, where even in this recession houses are still amillion buck, to get the disparity out of thier face and turn everything into one big monogamy of upscale Mcdonalds’

Are you smoking something? SF can’t even be in the same category of the best place to live. You either don’t live there, are rich enough to live someplace away from the problems or are totally clueless. It’s a jewel that turned out to be a costume imitation. I know because I’m a 3rd generation NATIVE of SF…wake up! You must have been a product of the fine education in SF, because you don’t spell too well, no offense.

actaully you are completely wrong. Unlike you , I don’t close my eyes as I walk around, I*’m not afraid of poeple who look different than me, I don’t move to the central valley or wherever else people run to. For a 3RD GENERATION local, you really don’t know anything about how SF was or is. THIS IS A CITY and I challenge you to find one nicer that includes more than just parking lots between chain stores. SF has everything that a NATIVE could possibly want in a city; an ocean you can swim in, mountains nearby, toms of parks, lots of stuff to do. If you stop walking around with your eyes closed, or actually took the time to enjoy the city from outside your office or out from behind the glass of your windshield, you might find that the reason people live here is because they like it…

YermMom…I am 6th gen SF and you are talking out your a$$. I took my wife and daughter to the zoo and thought a gang war was going to ensue. The place was a cesspool….certainly not the same zoo I used to visit on school field trips. I went downtown to meet an old high school buddy at O’Doule’s for lunch, and my blood pressure went up 40 points trying to navigate through the street construction,,,,and the stress of trying to find a parking place (oh yeah, and I got a parking ticket, thank you very much!). I stopped at a Wells Fargo to get cash out on Geary and had to park a half mile away to find a freaking parking spot! And swimming…in SF…really? The water’s a little cold and the undertow is horrible. Maybe you’d do better swimming at Stow Lake…..

The most ‘progressive’ city in the country, controlled by the largest congregation/percentage of supposedly ‘inclusive, diversity-loving” democrats showing their true colors. They also behave similarly toward anyone with an opinion different from theirs. To all the sheep following those self-appointed elites ..wake up!!! Get a clue …or at least …buy a vowel. Liberalism taken to the extreme (California style) eventually approaches fascism in its behavior and conduct towards political opponents. At first opposing views are suppressed and/or mocked as media control is expanded and consolidated. That turns to threatening behavior as ever more restrictive ‘diversity/hate-speech/fairness-doctrine/incitement’ laws are passed turning police and other government agencies/bureaus into brown-shirt enforcers. Eventually opponents are sanctioned/jailed. Today homeless gypsies are ticketed and jailed; tomorrow Jews, Christians, Tea Party Activities, and other Conservative Family oriented groups/organizations will be ticketed, fined, sanctioned, and jailed. California liberals are addicted to their power and money (tax receipts) chasing their false utopia on the backs of an ever dwindling supply of worker bees.

Send all of these people to Berkeley where they will be taken care of by all the compassionate lefties. We all know how much they really want them in their neighborhoods! What a bunch of self serving hypocrites!

What does SF expect? Half a century of pandering to the lowest common denominator while raping those that once brought prosperity. I say leave SF alone as a model to the rest of the US of how NOT to govern a city. As for the South…I too live in Atlanta and agree with many comments. The crime and poverty is swept under the rug so that most people can believe they are living in an affluent town on par with an LA or NY, while in reality it’s a cesspool of racism and entitled attitudes. Just a matter of time before this pressure cooker escalates into a full on racial/socio-economic war. Enjoy.

I lived in the SF and area in the late 50’s to early seventies. I escaped, bailed, dropped out. I never looked back. I gave up the great views, wonderful climate and trendy restaurants. What I got was peace and quiet, avoidance of the crush of humanity, no lines at the movies, banks or going to the beach. Do I miss the City? NO! Urban life is not on a human scale. It is post human.

Hey S.F. this is what you get for making your city a safe house for illegals. Your liberal ” progressive views attract the heavy drug users who live on the streets so now you think writing a ticket will do any good? All that will happen is they will get locked up for a day or two, get a free meal and a shower at the cost to the taxpayer. This will spur your elected Dems to raise your taxes once again on something to cover the extra cost. I really love it! You people have been stoned for so long you really have lost all ability to understand anything and figure out why things are going the way they are in your little world. Anyhow keep up the great work and continue to elect the progessive idiots that keep bending you over. It really is fun to watch from the outside as you slide deeper into your mess. LOL!

The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, often abbreviated LPS, (Cal. Welf & Inst. Code, sec. 5000 et seq.) concerns the involuntary civil commitment to a mental health institution in the State of California. The act set the precedent for modern mental health commitment procedures in the United States. It was co-authored by California State Assemblyman Frank Lanterman (R) and California State Senators Nicholas C. Petris (D) and Alan Short (D), and signed into law in 1967 by Governor Ronald Reagan. The Act went into full effect on July 1, 1972. It cited seven articles of intent:

To end the inappropriate, indefinite, and involuntary commitment of mentally disordered persons, people with developmental disabilities, and persons impaired by chronic alcoholism, and to eliminate legal disabilities;
To provide prompt evaluation and treatment of persons with serious mental disorders or impaired by chronic alcoholism;
To guarantee and protect public safety;
To safeguard individual rights through judicial review;
To provide individualized treatment, supervision, and placement services by a conservatorship program for gravely disabled persons;
To encourage the full use of all existing agencies, professional personnel and public funds to accomplish these objectives and to prevent duplication of services and unnecessary expenditures;
To protect mentally disordered persons and developmentally disabled persons from criminal acts.
The Act in effect ended all hospital commitments by the judiciary system, except in the case of criminal sentencing, e.g., convicted sexual offenders, and those who were “gravely disabled”, defined as unable to obtain food, clothing, or housing [Conservatorship of Susan T., 8 Cal. 4th 1005 (1994)]. It did not, however, impede the right of voluntary commitments. It expanded the evaluative power of psychiatrists and created provisions and criteria for holds.

Finally San Francisco is addressing her beggar (or to be politically correct: the homeless) population as most civilized cities to. This law is about face of the previous inaction that made that beautiful city a “city of beggars” who bully pedestrians if they do not cough out a dollar or two, vandalize the area, including defecating and urinating on the streets

This is class prejudice of the worst kind. What kind of people have the neo-cons turned this City into? Shame on you Mayor Lee, ya right wing ideologue. This is one case where the cover of this book has nothing at all to do with its content. What’s next Mr. Lee, no public urination?

Reading through many of these comments, its pretty scary how heartless, cold and angry Americans have become in general. There are usually human factors at the core of any social problem. Do you know any of the stories behind someones homelessness or addiction? Look at whats happening in Japan. Those people are courteous, compassionate, self sacrificing. I’m truly terrified at whats happening to the American psyche. We used to be the best -hard working, inventive, and always ready to lend a hand, Now all we do is complain, nag, rush over each other to save 5% at a big box store, act like we know what were talking about when we don’t have a clue. I’m sick at heart with you alreadyl. good day

The guy in the video who kept saying “Dude” looks like a first class piece of trash. I know where medical science can get some “volunteers”. And to paraphrase Mr “Dude” – He doesn’t work now and he’s not gonna work!

Let those worthless f***s starve to death. Herd them all up and put them in a field inside barbed wire and just let them sit THERE. Forever, or til they die.

This just isn’t right. Illegal aliens, bums and perverts should be allowed to sit, lie or pee any place they want at any hour in San Francisco and the taxpayers there should have to pay for any cost involved. . Where is Nancy and the various touchy-feely politicians when the deadbeats and have nots need them.
Evil hate spewing liiberals should be ashamed of themselves.

Now Now…as a former street person…I must say …that the level abuse by the street people themselves..? is at an all time low! We who lived in the street – homeless, broke, in destitude, and without hope…..at least still had an ethic and a respect for residences and businesses so that we could keep ‘our culture’ in the scope of some kind of respect and the doors of ‘help’ open!!?

Look, illiteratI—the Bay Are is between 7 and 8 million people–it’s a megalopolis.

In that number of citizens, you will have many types of people, including homeless and yes, gangs. It is extremely safe here, and each city in the 9 county (and the villages contained within) have their own charm.

As far as GIANT cities go, it’s fantastic–food is delicious and fresh, views are spectacular, public transportation is great, 1000+ year old redwood trees abound, Napa Valley, Oakland Hills, Marin County—all the most desirable parts of the planet. Our own little Amalfi coast (that’s in Italy, Illiterati!)

Those of us who don’t live there generally regard San Francisco as one of the most visually beautiful cities in the world, occupied by the most wacked out collection of dysfunctional and weirdos on the planet.

We last visted San Francisco in 2005 and were appallled by all the bums and scary dudes, especially riding the buses. SF made NY feel like a gated communiity in the suburbs. If they really do “take out the trash,” maybe we’ll come back and drop a few $$. Merchants and hotels and restaurants have a huge stake in this.

San Francisco isn’t just a cesspool of sexual perversion and liberalism, it’s a toilet in almost all senses. I’ve seen people not just urinate, but deficate…on Market Street, the center of the financial district.

I AM A 6TH GENERATION SAN FRANCISCAN. GREW UP THERE IN THE 50’S WHEN YOU HAD TO GET DRESSED UP TO GO DOWNTOWN. THEN THE 60’S HIT-THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION! SAN FRANCISCO WAS GROUND ZERO. HELL, EVEN I HUNG OUT IN THE HAIGHT-ASHBURY. WE HAD NO IDEA THEN THAT IT WAS A “REVOLUTION” FOSTERED BY THE COMMUNIST PROFESSORS IN FROM THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. OH YES IT CHANGED THINGS ALRIGHT, AND YES, SAN FRANCISCO WAS A CLEAN AND RELATIVELY SAFE CITY THEN, THAT WAS BEFORE THESE DEGENERATE LIBERALS BEGAN TO RUN THINGS. I LEFT-NEVER TO RETURN AND ALL OF MY RELATIVES AND FRIENDS GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE. WE WILL NEVER RETURN, NOT EVEN TO VISIT. THE CITY IS A FILTHY BUM STREWN NIGHTMARE NOW. GOTTA TELL YOU PEOPLE THAT LIBERALISM IS LIKE A DECAYING CANCER, EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES IT DESTROYS, AND SAN FRANCISCO IS A CASE IN POINT.

the probem is that laws like this are needed to allow police to enforce quality of life for everyone. the problem is the very system itself. and the law won’t help accomplish what it seeks to accomplish…cleaning up the city.
the law will just cost MORE money and make the city more broke, making it even filthier and even more bum strewn.

the court system and lega system of of the united states, has fallen from what was once a virtue of justice to and over-litigious—-wealth sucking , justice decaying society where money buys off the common good , and society needs to pay legislators and courts in order to ‘legislate’ common sense, and then judge it to be either ok or not ok.

this nation was once a nation of men who had law. now it is a nation of laws that have men.

Lets call them what they really are and that’s crazy,drunks and drug addicts .They don’t go to the shelters because you cant drink and do drugs at the shelters.Bring back vagrancy laws and clear the streets for business not bums.

I am new to SF and run two businesses there for a corporation. My impression is after talking to people is the city of SF encourages people to do nothing. We pay them to do nothing and use drugs. We pay for their crack house. We pay for their food. Its an encouraged cesspool. When you give too much, the lazy people from all over the country end up there. Methadone clinics, food lines, money handed out. They need to cut this trash out and do a massive clean up.

I always thought I was left wing, now I realize I am the middle. Far Left is as dangerous as far right.

The next time your walking down a street and you kick a homeless person, you should also thank them for your freedom, good chance that homeless person is a Veteran… Nearly forty percent of the homeless are Veterans…

Its an absolute disgrace when illegal aliens can receive college educations from the state, and veterans live in card board boxes….

Most of the boxes say “made in China” perhaps we should thank the communists for providing housing to our Veterans.

After 10 years of living in SF, I can only say that it is about time. The bums do NOT have a civil right to harass the working class for free money. People who never lived there don’t get to see the gloirious defecation, vomit, urine and any else that these creatures profuced..

This makes me laugh. I know a few people who reek of patchouli who won’t be liking life much with no place to squat. Course, they could go get a JOB and not have to worry about that, but I guess that’s too much for them to handle.